Abhishek Sharma's 30-Ball Century: Yuvraj Singh's Simple Advice Before the Afghanistan Match Made a Difference
- byPranay Jain
- 18 Sep, 2026
Abhishek Sharma produced one of the most explosive innings in international cricket, smashing a century off just 30 balls against Afghanistan. His breathtaking knock featured 11 sixes and nine fours, rewriting the record books and leaving fans stunned.
But behind the extraordinary innings was some simple advice from his mentor, former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh.
Following his century, Abhishek revealed that Yuvraj had sent him a message before the match, reminding him not to attack every delivery and instead wait for the right balls to hit.
What Did Yuvraj Singh Tell Abhishek Sharma?
According to Abhishek, Yuvraj's message was straightforward: attack deliveries that are in his hitting zone and rotate the strike when the ball isn't there to be hit.
Yuvraj also encouraged him to focus on playing a longer innings rather than trying to clear the boundary with every delivery.
Abhishek explained that the advice stayed in his mind during the match and that his priority was ultimately to contribute to the team's performance.
The guidance was particularly interesting considering what followed. Despite being told to look for singles and doubles between attacking shots, Abhishek's innings was dominated by boundaries.
11 Sixes and 9 Fours in a Record-Breaking Knock
Abhishek Sharma tore into the Afghanistan bowling attack from the beginning.
He smashed 11 sixes and nine fours, scoring 102 of his runs through boundaries alone.
His fifty itself came in spectacular fashion, with five sixes and five fours contributing to the milestone.
Once he reached his half-century, Abhishek continued attacking and accelerated further, eventually bringing up his century from just 30 deliveries.
The innings combined extraordinary power-hitting with remarkably clean striking, making it one of the most memorable T20 performances by an Indian batter.
Abhishek Sharma Creates History
The 30-ball century put Abhishek Sharma into the international record books.
Before this innings, AB de Villiers held the record for the fastest century in men's international cricket after reaching three figures in 31 balls during an ODI against the West Indies in 2015.
Abhishek's 30-ball hundred moved him ahead of that mark.
The knock also added another milestone to his T20 career. Abhishek has now reached 10 T20 centuries, matching Virat Kohli's tally.
However, the two reached the landmark in significantly different numbers of innings. Kohli took 413 innings to register his 10th T20 century, while Abhishek reached the same number in 205 innings.
Yuvraj's Advice and Abhishek's Aggression
There was an interesting contrast between Yuvraj's advice and the way Abhishek ultimately batted.
The former India star had advised him to rotate the strike when the ball wasn't in his hitting zone and avoid trying to attack every delivery. Yet once Abhishek found his rhythm, the boundaries kept coming.
His innings demonstrated just how destructive he can be when he gets going, while Yuvraj's message highlighted the importance of shot selection and building an innings rather than relying solely on brute force.
A Special Knock for Abhishek Sharma
A 30-ball international century is remarkable on its own, but the numbers behind Abhishek's innings make it even more extraordinary.
With 11 sixes, nine fours and 102 runs coming from boundaries, he turned the Afghanistan match into a personal record-breaking show.
And as Abhishek revealed afterward, a simple message from Yuvraj Singh before the game was one of the pieces of advice he carried with him into an unforgettable innings.






